Modus Operandi
Issue 214 / October 2006 More from this Issue
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By Amy Spencer
This year has been eye opening. Perhaps I was naive about what music fans are really like in Salt Lake. Concert attendance has been low in recent months, so low that promoters are losing even more money, bands are losing the desire to come back and word is spreading that Salt Lake isn’t friendly towards Industrial acts.
What really bothers me is people’s behavior at recent shows. During Snog’s September performance, "fans" had the audacity to steal the band’s flags displayed on stage. I never imagined that people at a concert would disrespect a band they paid to see. And with Snog’s anti-corporate message, it seems even more bizarre that people would do that. When asked if he had brought any extras, David Thrussell replied, "I didn’t think we would need them." The promoters replaced the flags, but it’s not about the flags anymore; it’s the way the Salt Lake scene is being represented. In a city that already struggles with getting live shows, it’s sad to see things like this happen.
Not only did Nitzer Ebb have a surprisingly small turnout, but I watched fans concentrate more on watching the show via cellphone than they actually indulged in the aspect that this legendary act was performing before them.
Things are changing in music scenes everywhere. Several notable bands that I have talked to recently mention how much harder it has become to survive making music. It’s a shame to see these talented people lose money on their art. The sense of community I once felt for this scene has disappeared. I’m nostalgic for a time when Industrial concerts were nearly sold out, everybody was enthusiastic for the live music experience and illegal downloading didn’t exist. Now let me wipe away my tears and move on.
Fear not little rivets, I don’t plan on giving up the good fight to keep Industrial alive in Utah. Be sure to check out those pretty boys from Sweden Covenant, the California cuties, Imperative Reaction and the pummeling of Germany’s Rotersand playing at The Avalon on October 10.
Bong-Ra
Stereotype Heroin Hooker
Ad Noiseam
Street: 06.26
Bong-Ra = Sex + drugs + breakcore
Bikini Bandits Kill! Kill! Was the first I had heard of Bong-Ra, it earned me the ridicule of friends, as my attraction to the bikini girl with a gun on the cover was undeniable. I was sold on the idea of jungle meets reggae meets breakcore. Guess who’s laughing now? The intense and ubiquitous beats thrown down on Stereotype Heroin Hooker with now two, bikini-clad girls is just the recipe for caffeinated beats laced with the best heroin in the world. Twelve tracks are laid out in an original format – four original Bong-Ra tracks, four "Old Flesh Remixes" from familiar acts like Duran Duran Duran and Enduser and four "Fresh Meat Remixes" from newcomers Dr. Bastardo, Ace of Breaks and Cake Builder. "Coke Sniffah" unleashes the drug-loaded experience with speedy chipmunk-like female vocals and double-time beats to match. "Suicide Speed Machine Girl" follows the same Alvin-Simon-Theodore vocals this time with powerful jabs that stab in all the right places. Distorted guitars are thrown into the jungle on "Death To False Metal" – who knew metal and jungle could be a winning combination? Drop the Lime and Enduser won me over with their remixes in the Old Flesh group, and the new fleshers leave me craving more, especially that Cardopusher. Even if you are a breakcore hater, Bong-Ra has the power to seduce you with those hypnotic throbbing beats.
This year has been eye opening. Perhaps I was naive about what music fans are really like in Salt Lake. Concert attendance has been low in recent months, so low that promoters are losing even more money, bands are losing the desire to come back and word is spreading that Salt Lake isn’t friendly towards Industrial acts.
What really bothers me is people’s behavior at recent shows. During Snog’s September performance, "fans" had the audacity to steal the band’s flags displayed on stage. I never imagined that people at a concert would disrespect a band they paid to see. And with Snog’s anti-corporate message, it seems even more bizarre that people would do that. When asked if he had brought any extras, David Thrussell replied, "I didn’t think we would need them." The promoters replaced the flags, but it’s not about the flags anymore; it’s the way the Salt Lake scene is being represented. In a city that already struggles with getting live shows, it’s sad to see things like this happen. Not only did Nitzer Ebb have a surprisingly small turnout, but I watched fans concentrate more on watching the show via cellphone than they actually indulged in the aspect that this legendary act was performing before them.
Things are changing in music scenes everywhere. Several notable bands that I have talked to recently mention how much harder it has become to survive making music. It’s a shame to see these talented people lose money on their art. The sense of community I once felt for this scene has disappeared. I’m nostalgic for a time when Industrial concerts were nearly sold out, everybody was enthusiastic for the live music experience and illegal downloading didn’t exist. Now let me wipe away my tears and move on.
Fear not little rivets, I don’t plan on giving up the good fight to keep Industrial alive in Utah. Be sure to check out those pretty boys from Sweden Covenant, the California cuties, Imperative Reaction and the pummeling of Germany’s Rotersand playing at The Avalon on October 10.
Bong-Ra
Stereotype Heroin Hooker
Ad Noiseam
Street: 06.26
Bong-Ra = Sex + drugs + breakcore
Bikini Bandits Kill! Kill! Was the first I had heard of Bong-Ra, it earned me the ridicule of friends, as my attraction to the bikini girl with a gun on the cover was undeniable. I was sold on the idea of jungle meets reggae meets breakcore. Guess who’s laughing now? The intense and ubiquitous beats thrown down on Stereotype Heroin Hooker with now two, bikini-clad girls is just the recipe for caffeinated beats laced with the best heroin in the world. Twelve tracks are laid out in an original format – four original Bong-Ra tracks, four "Old Flesh Remixes" from familiar acts like Duran Duran Duran and Enduser and four "Fresh Meat Remixes" from newcomers Dr. Bastardo, Ace of Breaks and Cake Builder. "Coke Sniffah" unleashes the drug-loaded experience with speedy chipmunk-like female vocals and double-time beats to match. "Suicide Speed Machine Girl" follows the same Alvin-Simon-Theodore vocals this time with powerful jabs that stab in all the right places. Distorted guitars are thrown into the jungle on "Death To False Metal" – who knew metal and jungle could be a winning combination? Drop the Lime and Enduser won me over with their remixes in the Old Flesh group, and the new fleshers leave me craving more, especially that Cardopusher. Even if you are a breakcore hater, Bong-Ra has the power to seduce you with those hypnotic throbbing beats.
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